Moinard wins final stage as Contador stands firm overall

Alberto Contador survived the attacks on the final day to clinch the Paris-Nice title for the second time in his career.

The Spaniard, the 2007 Paris-Nice champion, has won both stage races he has started this season – having taken the victory at the Tour of the Algarve last month.

French rider Amaël Moinard of Cofidis won the final stage – and wrapped up the king of the mountains competition. Contador held firm, despite the fact Alejandro Valverde won the sprint for third place and trimmed his lead. There was a considerable amount of movement further down the overall classification, with Luis Leon Sanchez leapfrogging Roman Kreuziger to make it an all-Spanish top three, Peter Sagan, the revelation of the race slipped out of the top ten, as did Britain’s David Millar.

It was a short, aggressive stage – just 119 kilometres, but with three first-category climbs. Early on, Sagan, the impressive 20-year-old Slovakian, won an intermediate sprint, taking a three-second time bonus that provisionally lifted him up to seventh overall.

The attackers tried their luck early on the Col de la Porte but Astana worked hard to bring everything back together for the race leader, Contador, who held a slender 14-second lead over Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne).

Moinard and Thomas Voeckler (BBOX Bouygues Telecom) attacked towards the top of the Col de la Porte and the bunch let them go. They quickly built a lead of a minute-and-a-half and by the time they reached the top of La Turbie, the second climb of the stage, the gap was almost three minutes.

They still held a good lead approaching the foot of the Col d’Eze, with 28 kilometres left, but the pace in the bunch was incredibly high and they were strung out in single file.

Voeckler attacked Moinard and got clear on his own but the Cofidis man dragged his way back up.

Contador was alert as the attacks came on the Col d’Eze and he marked Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) and Valverde and the trio looked as if they were going to catch Moinard and Voeckler. The reigning Tour de France champion also had a the rest gasping in his wake as he launched an attack of his own.

The chasers came very close to catching them on the descent and run-in but the two Frenchmen worked well together and opened up the sprint. Moinard took it and the chase group almost got them.

Valverde took the time bonus but it was not enough to unseat Contador. Rein Taaramae, the Estonian champion, moved up to eighth overall. Sagan was dropped on Col d’Eze and lost 2-48, but his lead in the points competition stood firm and he kept hold of the green jersey. That, and two stage wins, made it an excellent week, despite losing a top ten place on the final day.

David Millar also lost time – 59 seconds – and slipped from ninth to 13th. Team Sky’s best rider overall was Aussie Simon Gerrans, who was 15th.